Reviews of The Omnivore’s Dilemma

Reading Pollan's book, it's hard to avoid the conclusion that the food industry has confined many Americans to their own urban feedlots, in which they have grown obese, ill, and uncurious about the source or nutritional quality of their food.

I doubt that there is a book which succeeds more than The Omnivore' s Dilemma -- with its richness of information, eloquence of address, and integrity of moral purpose -- in rendering visible, and presenting for a "different" style of ethical reflection, that "profound engagement" with our world which eating represents.

In all of his books, including this one, Pollan brings lucid and rich prose to the table, an enthusiasm for his topic, interesting anecdotes, a journalist's passion for research, an ability to poke fun at himself, and an appreciation for historical context.